Trendy North Central Phoenix is one of the area’s up-and-coming, hip neighborhoods. These days, it’s a very exciting place to be. “The light rail additiion many years ago changed the area significantly,” says Denise van den Bossche, a Realtor with Realty Executives,who has transacted business around here for over 30 years.“The best Saturday farmer's market in Phoenix metro is here at Central Avenue, as well as groceries and some of newest trends in restaurants between 7th Street and 7th Avenue” It has become much more than the North Central estates that historically were dominated by some of the founding families of the Valley, generation after generation. “Phoenix has grown up,” van den Bossche says.
You might even say it's sprawling, with pockets of retail centers here and there. It’s also flat, as you might expect of Arizona. There are sidewalks and a nostalgic bridle path that harkens back to when people used horses and buggies to travel these roads. Murphy Bridle Path is historic. It runs along Central Avenue all the way to the Arizona canal. It is also known for lush greenery. “Las Brisas was originally an orchard adjacent the Arizona canal. Back then they used flood irrigation, which made it affordable to grow fruity, which gives us the mature trees that shade the streets today.”
North Central sports an eclectic mix of architectural home styles. Washington Elementary School District, which Niche rates B-minus, serves North Central’s elementary and middle school students. They may attend Sunnyslope Elementary School, which Niche rates C, and Royal Palm Middle School, which Niche rates C-plus. High school students may attend Sunnyslope High School in the Glendale Union High School District. Niche rates the district A-minus, and the high school it rates A.
Phoenix's distinct aesthetic spills over into its community park. Here, Royal Palm Park assumes much of the feel of its surrounding neighborhood. “Royal Palm is known for beautiful palm trees. The area around the park has estate homes with large grassy lots,” van den Bossche says. With its basketball court, picnic tables, slides and swings, the park is a great place for an afternoon of fun for children and adults.
As in most suburbs, many residents opt to drive to get where they’re going. For the ones who choose not to, a variety of options exist, including Valley Metro’s light rail service, Phoenix Transit buses, Phoenix Dial-a-Ride and E-Scooters. This makes it easy to reach the area’s many attractions, including sports, of which Phoenix enjoys every major professional sport from NFL Football to Major League Baseball to both NBA and WNBA Basketball. There’s even an indoor football league.
An array of transportation options makes shopping relatively trouble-free. Bashas’ Supermarket is 3.5 miles from North Central, not far from Uptown Farmer’s Market. Retail shopping at Target and Walmart are just west of there, by other familiar national brands and the movie theater. In that way, North Central has most, if not all, of what anyone could need.
Call or text Denise 602-980-0737, denisevdb@exec-elite.com
More on historic Phoenix neighborhoods here
More on Scottsdale here
More on Paradise Valley here
More on the Biltmore Area here
